Waiau Hut
Standard hutSt James Conservation Area, CanterburyDOC data as at 20 September 2026
About this place
This is a standard 6-bunk hut in the St James Conservation Area.
Know before you go
Keep alpine lakes and tarns free of lindavia (lake snow)
The invasive alga lindavia is present in Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa. It causes lake snow – a sticky mucus that hangs below the surface of the water. Make sure all your gear is completely dry for 48 hours before swimming or taking water from any alpine lake or tarn, including Rotomaninitua/Lake Angelus. U se a biosecurity cleaning station at Coldwater Hut, Lakehead Hut and Sabine Hut to disinfect any boots, socks, clothing, towels or drink bottles that are wet or damp from lake or river water. Do not touch the water in Rotomairewhenua/Blue Lake and Rotopōhueroa/Lake Constance. Be extra careful if you’ve recently swum or filled a drink bottle from Lakes Rotoiti or Rotoroa. More ways to stop the spread
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Trip options
Walking times computed leg by leg from DOC track descriptions, from car-accessible trailheads.
8 options · 2 to 7 nights
Blue Lake Hut
Walking in
12 hr
Walking out
12 hr to Blue Lake Hut
Walking in
12 hr
Walking out
12 hr 30 min to Cannibal Gorge Hut (via Christopher Hut, Ada Pass Hut)
Tracks used: St Arnaud to Boyle Te Araroa Route → Waiau Pass Route (Blue Lake Route to Lewis Pass)
Walking in
12 hr
Walking out
13 hr to Boyle settlement (via Anne Hut)
St Arnaud
Tracks used: St Arnaud to Boyle Te Araroa Route → Waiau Pass Route (Blue Lake Route to Lewis Pass)
Walking in
34 hr 30 min (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Walking out
12 hr to Blue Lake Hut
Tracks used: St Arnaud to Boyle Te Araroa Route → Waiau Pass Route (Blue Lake Route to Lewis Pass)
Walking in
34 hr 30 min (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Walking out
12 hr 30 min to Cannibal Gorge Hut (via Christopher Hut, Ada Pass Hut)
Walking in
34 hr 30 min (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Walking out
13 hr to Boyle settlement (via Anne Hut)
Walking in
34 hr 30 min (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Walking out
34 hr 30 min to St Arnaud (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Cannibal Gorge Hut
Tracks used: St Arnaud to Boyle Te Araroa Route → Waiau Pass Route (Blue Lake Route to Lewis Pass)
Walking in
12 hr 30 min (via Christopher Hut, Ada Pass Hut)
Walking out
34 hr 30 min to St Arnaud (via Lakehead Hut/Coldwater Hut, John Tait Hut, Upper Travers Hut, West Sabine Hut, Blue Lake Hut)
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai track descriptions.
Fees and bookings
Before you go, buy Hut Tickets for each night's stay. Put these in the honesty box at the hut. Or buy a Backcountry Hut Pass that gives unlimited use at most Standard and Serviced huts for a 12 month period. Retailers that sell hut tickets and passes Te Araroa – The Trail Pass Te Araroa Trail Pass
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Getting there
- Topo map
- Topo50 sheet BT24
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
On these tracks
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Contact
Arthur's Pass National Park Visitor Centre
104 West Coast Road, Arthur's Pass 7654
Regional DOC service centre.
Nearby stops
Blue Lake Hut
Serviced • 16 bunks • Nelson/Tasman • 13.6 km
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Christopher Hut
Serviced • 14 bunks • Canterbury • 14.4 km
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Upper Travers Hut
Serviced • 24 bunks • Nelson/Tasman • 19.2 km
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
West Sabine Hut
Serviced • 30 bunks • Nelson/Tasman • 19.3 km
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Ada Pass Hut
Serviced • 14 bunks • West Coast • 21.7 km
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
All details
- Facilities
- HeatingMattressesToilets - non-flushWater from tap - not treatedboil before useWater supply
- Bookable
- No
- Category
- Standard
- Location
- St James Conservation Area
- Fireplace
- Yes
- Mattress
- Yes
- Capacity
- 6
- Toilets
- Yes
- Drinking water
- untreated
- Reservations
- No
- Fee
- Yes
- Website
- This place on doc.govt.nz
- Source data
- View source data
Map and tracks
Track lines: DOC Te Papa Atawhai. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.42.18020° S, 172.66122° E
Something not right?
Closed, moved, wrong facts, or you know something we do not. Change only what you know is wrong or missing; a person checks it before it goes live. Or email us about this place.
Sources
- DOC Huts (API) · CC BY 4.0Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. Data sourced from the DOC Developer Portal (api.doc.govt.nz).
- OpenStreetMap Huts · ODbL (Open Database License)Contains information from OpenStreetMap, made available under the ODbL.
- DOC Huts · CC BY 4.0Data sourced from the Department of Conservation (DOC), New Zealand.